Nottingham Forest’s capture of Hillal Soudani has not lessened their appetite to sign Lewis Grabban.

The Reds invested 3m euro to land the Algerian international striker from Dinamo Zagreb, with the 30-year-old putting pen to paper on a three year contract.

But Aitor Karanka remains keen to further bolster his attacking arsenal and it is understood that further talks have been held over a deal to land experienced front man Grabban in the last few days.

Grabban, who is also 30, scored 20 goals in the Championship last season, during loan spells with Sunderland and Aston Villa, would add to the experience and goal scoring power that was added by the capture of Soudani.

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Winger or forward Daniel Podence is expected to join Olympiakos, following his decision to terminate his contract with Sporting.

But Forest are working to fend off rival interest from Leeds United to secure the services of Grabban, who has always been Karanka’s primary forward target this summer, with Patrick Bamford and Nelson Oliveira regarded as alternative options if they cannot land him.

Grabban’s Premier League wages remain a significant potential stumbling block, but Forest are hopeful that an agreement can be reached to bring the striker to the City Ground.

The Croydon born player bagged 12 goals for struggling Sunderland in the first half of the campaign, before boosting Aston Villa’s push for the play-offs with eight goals in ten starts and five sub appearances.

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Grabban began his career at Crystal Palace and had loan spells with Oldham and Motherwell. After moving to Millwall, he went to Brentford on loan, before moving to Rotherham, where he scored 21 goals in the 2011/12 season to enhance his reputation.

That earned him a £300k move to Bournemouth in 2012, where he scored 35 goals in 88 starts and five sub appearances. A big money move to Norwich followed, with Grabban scoring 13 goals in 28 starts and 16 sub appearances.

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As well as Soudani, Forest still regard Ben Brereton as a talented prospect who can have a role to play in the first team again next season, but Karanka is keen to ensure the Reds have the strength in depth required in the final third to sustain a push for the top six in the Championship this season.